Downfall of a Broken Queen
by Katie Snow
Summary: AU. Brittany was willing to do anything to free herself, and her people, from the terrifying reign of Jessie. Santana was willing to do anything to be seen as a god. When the two make a pact to get their wishes, alliances are formed, and even greater enemies are made. And yet the two thing that neither thought possible was love in the middle of a war.
1. Chapter 1

1.

The temperature had dropped the past few days, leading the sun away and a thin layer of snow to cover the ground. The trees were bare and the few patches of soil that peeked out from the snow were hard. Every so often, a squirrel would scurry past, trying to claw through the dirt in a desperate attempt to find food.

Wolf's steps were silent as she walked back towards her camp. Her arms were tired and heavy from the pile of firewood she carried. Her eyes burned and she could feel her fingers beginning to numb; any longer out there and she knew she would collapse and never get back up again. Anyone would think she would be accustomed to the cold by now; she had lived there for seven years and counting. And yet she still spent most of her time longing for the warm desert days.

She stopped short at the sound of footsteps coming from behind her. Convincing herself it was someone who had come to help, she turned around. Someone slammed into her, knocking her to the ground and scattering the firewood. When she looked over to see who it was, she did not recognize the face. His eyes were wide and his breathing was heavy. He frantically placed a finger over his lips, a gesture too desperate to be malicious.

"Please help me. Please, you have to. You can't tell anyone that I've crossed this way. I didn't mean to cross the boundary line—please, I didn't mean to." He was trying to keep his voice to a low whisper, yet it rose as he became more and more alarmed. "Please." His eyes pleaded with her, tears pooling.

"Where are you from?" she asked. She did not believe this was a diversion—many had attempted to conquer the Ashamari village in the past by creating distractions, but this was different. He feared for his life. And if that was not enough to prove he was honest, then it was his scent. This was human. They dared not to venture into Ashamari in an attempt of conquer.

"Hallio—I'm from the Hallio Village."

"You are long away from there. How did you get here?"

"I was traveling along the shoreline with my son. He saw something in the woods as we neared the border and ran in. I went in after him but couldn't see him anywhere. I didn't mean to come in this far. Please, just tell me how to get home. Please don't kill me."

"Travel in a straight line down to the shoreline. Once you get there, head east. You will come to the border of Ashamari and Hallio within the hour. Go quickly—my people are hunting."

He kneeled to the ground, allowing the snow to soak his pants. "My name is Xavier Tenneth and I am forever in your debt."

"Get up—there is no time for a discussion of debt. If you're caught, I will not consider your blood to be on my hands."

"I would not expect you to."

He ran off, stumbling through the trees until he was out of sight. Wolf gathered the fallen wood into her arms and took heavy steps towards the camp.

By the time she had reached camp, snow had begun to fall. Flakes covered her clothes and matted her hair. People were hurrying about the camp, whispering about something that Wolf's ears were not able to catch. She dropped the firewood into a larger pile in a tent and followed her people as they gathered into a circle.

"My people of the Ashamari Village," a voice shouted, "I present to you a trespasser!" She recognized the voice as Jessie. As she pushed herself through the crowd, she met the eyes of Xavier Tenneth. He met her gaze and gave an apologetic smile. "This man thought it was okay to come into our home, our boundaries! Today, we will show him the mistake he made."

There were cheers and sounds of encouragement from the crowd. Wolf pleaded with the gods to let something—anything—happen. Send_ down an earthquake and allow the earth to swallow Jessie. Change the snow to a blizzard and allow this man his escape. _Despite her pleads, nothing happened. Absolutely nothing.

"Tell me your name, trespasser," Jessie demanded.

"Xavier Tenneth." His voice was quiet as he considered his impending death.

"Louder!"

"Xavier Tenneth," he said, this time with more strength. Wolf recognized it as the last ounce of strength he had left within him. This man was not a fighter. This man was a human born into a village that was supposed to fight for him.

"I will give you two choices, Xavier Tenneth. You can either die by my hands, or choose to fight against someone in my pack. Make your decision quickly."

Everyone already knew that Jessie saw everything as a game, yet the way that he was toying with Xavier struck Wolf with even more disgust and hatred for the man she was supposed to be loyal to. She strained her ears to listen as Xavier made his choice. "I will fight," he managed to choke out.

Jessie erupted with laughter. He turned to face the crowd of people, circling around to see everyone. "Who wishes to fight this madman?" Three men began to walk forward, pushing each other out of the way, declaring their intentions. "To be fair, there can only be one," Jessie announced. Fair. The word held little meaning when Jessie was the one using it.

One of the men wrestled the other two down and knocked each out, displaying his strength to Jessie. That was all that was important for some. To display their strength and worth to Jessie meant getting treated slightly better than the rest of the pack. Wolf recognized the man as Kaliel, strong and vicious. He would give Xavier a death that was anything but painful and excruciating.

Seeing no other choice, Wolf shifted. Her bones snapped and her body morphed into that of a wolf. She lunged forward and pinned Kaliel to the ground and sinking her teeth into his shoulder. He cried out in pain and she got off of him, walking in front of Jessie.

Jessie, amused, threw his head back and laughed. "I suppose we have our warrior for the evening. You may choose to fight in either form."

Seeing the fear in Xavier's eyes, she shifted back. Goosebumps rose on her flesh and she tried not to shiver in the bitter weather. Her naked body did nothing to keep her warm, yet the sight of someone he recognized, someone who had helped him, seemed to calm Xavier, even if it was just in a small amount.

She circled around him and lowered her voice so only she could hear. "I am called Wolf," she told him. "You are a brave man to choose to fight. You will be remembered by me, and I promise you will be remembered by others as well. I am sorry you were caught."

"It was my own fault," he told her. "Please do not feel at fault or anything. It is I who owed you, not the other way around."

"Now you owe me nothing."

"Why have you chosen to fight me?" She could see the question was bothering him, the curiosity becoming too much.

She lunged forward and hit him in the face. He stumbled backwards, his fingers moving to his nose and finding blood. As she moved closer to him, the fear in his eyes dissipated and he smiled gratefully. She tackled him to the ground and moved her hands to circle around his neck.

"Thank you." His eyes showed more gratefulness than he would ever have been able to express. She nodded curtly and squeezed. The sound of his neck snapping triggered images and thoughts of his son, though she did her best to push it into the back of her mind.

The crowd let out roars of excitement. Wolf walked past Jessie, ignoring his congratulations. She did not stop walking until she found herself back in the forest. Her hands were balled into fists as she stared at the ground. Grinding her teeth, she made the decision that she knew would probably get her killed. And still, she was unable to find it in her to care about her own death.

She had been wandering the forest for two hours. By now, she was sure she was lost. She should have just followed the coastline. But, no—that would have been too risky. Too much caution would have had to been used. Although her pack was probably celebrating over the death of a trespasser and hoping for another, there was still a chance she was unwilling to take.

After another hour, the temperature began to rise. She shifted into her human form as she began to pant. At first, the heat burned. Her numb body did not have the time to adjust slowly and did not appreciate being thrown into it. She broke out into a run as she saw the end of the tree-line. All she could see past the trees was sand, but that was all she needed to see to know she had crossed the boundary line.

Once she had broken past the trees, she embraced the sun. It felt warmer here than it ever had in Ashamari. Hotter, brighter, more welcoming. It made her feel like nothing could harm her; like the rays wrapped themselves around her in a protective embrace.

She could make out the shapes of huts in the distance and walked towards them, knowing she was also headed in the direction of the lake. As she approached the huts, she caught sight of people watching her, whispering to each other. One ran in the opposite direction, not stopping until they reached a tent.

She stopped where she was; if she had gone any closer, she feared the people would see her as a threat. A man came out of the tent that the messenger had run into. His steps were slow and confident as he came to her. A woman joined him on the way, a human. She walked unsteady—Wolf guessed a physical ailment.

Squaring her shoulders, she tried to look the man in the eyes, though they continued to slip down to sand beneath her bare feet. When he was within a step of her, he stopped and waited for her to look back up. All the strength and courage she had melted into fear and regret—perhaps if she had tried, she could have saved him.

"I am here to talk to the family of Xavier Tenneth," she announced. Her voice waivered and she balled her hands into fists, trying not to shake.

"We are all his family here," the man replied. He stared her down and she shifted her weight uncomfortably. "Where do you come from and how do you know him?"

It was then that she gave up. A deep breath left her and her shoulders slumped over. The tall stature she had so painfully held shattered at his question and she looked at him with overwhelming sorrow. "I come from Ashamari." At this, the people watching them began to murmur fearfully. "I am the one who killed Xavier."

Five men rushed towards her—warriors, she assumed. They seized her without order and threw her to the ground. "Enough!" the woman shouted. The men ceased their actions just as one had pulled back his arm to strike her. "Help her up."

When Wolf was on her feet, the woman took her arm and guided her away. Wolf looked back to the man, though he remained silent and without protest. They walked to the middle of the village, passing those who were angered, afraid, saddened, and confused. She waited for the order to be given to kill her, yet nothing happened as she was guided into a large tent.

"Sit," the woman commanded, gesturing to a chair in the corner. She sat obediently, as if this was the woman she was loyal to. "Please, tell me your story." She reached for a blanket next to the chair and draped it around Wolf's shoulders.

"I do not have much to tell. I met him in the woods as he was going after his son. He claimed to have not known where he was going, or that he had already crossed the boundary. He was...afraid. The smell of fear on him was enough to make me dizzy. I pointed him in the right direction and left him to go on his way. When I returned back to my camp, I noticed that he had been caught."

"And how did you end up being the one to end his life?" The woman leaned closer at this and Wolf took a moment to study her. There were wrinkles around her eyes, gray hairs mixed in the sea of brown. Her face was lightly freckled. There was a sense of familiarity about her that she strained to hold onto, yet it faded as her mind dwelled on the question she had been asked.

"The leader of our pack—Jessie—had given him two options. To die by Jessie's hands, or to fight another. A man—Kaliel—had stepped forward to fight Xavier. He is not one to give a merciful death to anyone. I fought him to get to Xavier."

"So you chose to be the one to fight him? Why? Why would you not allow this Kaliel to make a show out of it? Is that not what your people do?"

"It is what Jessie and his followers do. There are those of us who do not agree with the ways of our pack, yet we do not have the strength to leave, not even in numbers. I chose to fight him to give a quick death. He did not deserve to die, but I knew that one way or another, he would. And for an innocent man to suffer by my lack of action is not something I would pride myself on."

"What would have happened if he had defeated you?"

She swallowed heavily at this. "If a trespasser were to defeat one of our own, Jessie would have both killed. Their arms would be ripped off, and then their throats slit, after Jessie deems they have suffered to point of numbness."

The woman's eyes closed and she made an expression of disgust and disbelief. "What did Xavier say to you when you helped him?"

"He told me he was indebted to me."

"Name your price. His debts become our own in his death. We will do right by you for protecting one of our own. Tell us what you wish for."

She stood, the blanket still draped around her shoulders. This time, she built up her confidence and refused for it to disappear. "Did his son ever return?" The woman nodded. "I wish to speak with him."

As they walked out of the tent, all eyes were on them. Wolf looked around, trying hard not to appear as nervous as she felt. "Is she going to be executed?" one man shouted. A few others murmured in agreement.

"Silence!" the woman shouted. A hush fell onto the people. "She will not be harmed. Bring forth Bran Tenneth."

"Why does she face no punishment? She's from Ashamari! Our people would be tortured just for crossing the border, and yet she kills one of us and faces no consequence?" someone from the crowd argued.

"Everything will be explained after I have seen Bran. Where is he?"

The crowd parted as a young boy walked forward. Bright, blue eyes shone from behind dark bangs. He approached them cautiously, never taking his eyes off of Wolf. His hands shook and yet he kept his head high, his stance ready to run or fight if the circumstances were to change at any given moment. She immediately admired him.

"You will go with her, Bran. She brings no harm to you, only sorrow."

Without question, the boy followed Wolf as she started to walk away. She led him down to the shoreline of the lake that cut into every boundary of every village. He followed every moment she made as she sat onto the soil. For a while, they said nothing. The sun was starting to set when Wolf finally opened her mouth to speak.

"My name is Wolf," she said. It was all she could think to say. How could she tell a boy so young his father was dead and she was the killer?

"That's a funny name. Why would your parents name you after an animal?"

"Does Bran not mean raven?"

"It's not the same thing."

"Well, if it makes any more sense, my parents are dead, and even if they were alive they would have not had a say over my name. I was named by my pack leader."

"Jessie?"

"You have heard of him?"

"Stories. Horrible stories of all he has done. Of all that your people have done."

"Many of those stories hold true. Except for one."

This caught the boy's attention. "Which one?"

"He is not as brave as people believe. He is a coward who hides behind those that blindly follow him. He survives off of the loyalty of others. Without it, he would be nothing."

"But he's an Ashamari. He's stronger than everyone."

"Strength does not come from how many forms you shift into, or your control over your shift. It comes from bravery. It comes from your own, entire being. A man who is strong physically is not a man who holds strength. And yet, a man who is weak physically can still be strong."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"It might make sense to you one day."

"Do you think I could be strong?"

"I think everyone has the potential to be strong. Your father—" She stopped herself, the words caught in her throat. Bran looked at her.

"I heard what you said in Yama's tent."

A small smile crept across Wolf's lips. "You're an eavesdropper, are you?" Bran blushed, embarrassed. "Then you know that your father is strong."

"He died."

"And he died a strong man. He had the strength to choose to fight even when he knew he would die, even when he was afraid. I could only hope to harbor as much strength as your father did."

Bran looked to the water as it lapped onto the shore inches from their feet. "Do you truly believe he was strong?"

"I would never lie about a man's strength."

"You're a shifter, and you're calling a human strong. Anyone would see that as a lie."

"The only difference between a shifter and a human is their body. There is no difference when it comes to their minds, to their hearts. One human can be braver and stronger than a hundred shifters combined. I would have thought you to know that, living in Hallio Village. This is the only village where shifters and humans live at peace and mix."

"Yeah."

When he said nothing more, Wolf rose to her feet. "I only wished to tell you that your father died with strength. I promised him he would be remembered for his bravery, and now it is your turn to help me keep that promise. Tell your village what I have told you. Tell them that you are the son of a great warrior."

Bran stood up tall and smiled. "What about you?"

"What about me?" She tilted her head to the side, trying to make sense of his words.

"My father is a great warrior, but what are you?"

"I...I am nothing."

"Why would you say that?" Bran's voice rose. "After all you have told me—after going out of your way to help my father, and then to give him a painless death, you call yourself nothing?"

"It's something we are taught when we're young, Bran. Those of Ashamari are nothing. We are animals, and no more. We are beasts that deserve no recognition. I say I am nothing because that is what I am taught to be."

Bran threw himself onto Wolf, engulfing her in a tight embrace. "You're merciful," he whispered. "You're kind. You saved my father, even if you did so by killing him."

He let go of her and walked away, turning back only once to say, "You're strong."

The guilt was weighing her down an hour into the trek home. Despite having kept her promise to him, something was still nagging at her. She could have done something. She could have fought. All they would have had to do was run—but to where? Hallio would not have harbored her at risk of Jessie taking over. Waus was a village of strictly humans—they would have taken Xavier, but killed her. Even if they had gotten further than the bordering villages, the possibilities of how it would have ended still involved death.

So why did she still feel guilty?

She was torn from her thoughts at the sound of clapping. She spun around and saw a woman leaning against a tree. She was clad in fur and there was a shimmer in her eyes that made her untrustworthy.

"That was kind. What you did in Hallio, I mean." She pushed herself off from the tree to walk closer to Wolf. "What did you say you call yourself? Wolf?"

Wolf pulled the blanket around her tighter. She hadn't realized she was still wearing it until that moment. It was a mistake, she realized, to not have ditched it and changed into her other form. She would have been a lot warmer, and would have had the means to run from this woman.

"Why don't you just rename yourself?"

"Have you ever heard of Ashamari?"

"What I know of Ashamari is irrelevant. Answer my question."

"Even if I were to call myself something else, what difference does it make? My name to everyone else would still be Wolf. That is what I was named, and that's how it will be forever."

"What if I told you there was a way to rid the world of Jessie? Would you change your name then?"

"I would only make changes to my life if Jessie was not in the picture."

"That's not true. You made a change today. You crossed the border, Wolf. You went behind Jessie's back and talked to the people of Hallio to compensate for the death of that man."

"Who are you? And how do you even know all of this? What do you want from me?"

The woman laughed. "You ask a lot of questions. My name is Santana, and I'm here to help you with Jessie. I can help you get rid of him."

"Why would you want to do that? What would you gain?"

"The loyalty of his current pack. With him gone, I would be the new leader."

"Are you honestly trying to say that all you want is the glory of defeating him?"

"Not just the glory, Wolf. The power and strength that comes with conquering new territory. I would closer to being recognized as a god if I were to take down the Ashamari pack."

"A god? You are joking, right?"

Santana remained quiet, giving Wolf her answer. Wolf sighed and a smile played across Santana's face. "What does Jessie fear most?"

"As far as anyone is concerned, he fears nothing."

"What about the pack of shifters that people call the 'Savages'?"

Wolf's eyes widened at this. "What are you implying?"

"They want revenge, and I have the means to get into contact with them. If they killed Jessie, you would be free of threat. Hell, I'm sure they would even allow you to join their pack, or leave to join another if you wished. They aren't as bad as Jessie made them out to be."

"What would I have to do in return?"

"Swear your loyalty to me. Swear that you would give your life to protect me—that I am your pack leader."

"That's all? You only wish for my loyalty?"

"The loyalty of one is worth more than someone would think. Although there is something else."

Wolf's heart began to race. Swearing her loyalty to Santana was bad enough—she barely knew her. And now there was something else, something that could pose even more of a threat than betraying Jessie. "What is it?" she asked uncertainly.

"I want you to take on a new name."

"That...that's all?"

"You cannot fully swear your loyalty to me until you let go of Jessie's grip on you. It is Jessie who christened you the name of that which you shift into. Break that bond, and you will have my word that I will get into contact with the savages and help you defeat Jessie."

"And what of my pack when you defeat Jessie? Will you kill them as well?"

"I do not find sense in taking innocent lives. All members will be given a choice—stand by Jessie or take control of their own lives. Whether that is to join us when we take over, or to travel elsewhere, is up to them. I give people choices, Wolf. Unlike Jessie, I would not force them into my control."

She considered her options, yet there was not much to think about. Her only choices were to stay under Jessie's dictatorship or take a chance on Santana. Frankly, the latter sounded more sound than the former. "What would I call myself?"

"What would you like to call yourself?"

"I have no knowledge of names. Xavier Tenneth was the first real name I have heard in years. I—I wouldn't know what to call myself."

Santana circled around her, folding her hands behind her back and making small humming noises as she studied her. "What about Connloadh?"

"That's too long," Wolf whined.

"Brittany?"

"Brittany," Wolf repeated. She liked the way it sounded on her tongue. Foreign, maybe, but not hard to pronounce. "What does it mean?"

"It means little fire. I think it suits you well," Santana said.

"Why do you think that?"

Santana smiled slyly. "If you do not figure it out by the time all of this is over, only then will I explain." She knew that questioning her further would get nothing done, so Wolf dropped the conversation. It was clear that Santana saw something in her that she had yet to discover.

"So it's decided, then?"

"Yes, Brittany. I will reach the savages and ask them for their aid. One way or another, Jessie will be gone soon and you will be free of his reign."

"Free of his reign, yet under yours," she pointed out.

"If you still do not wish to hold loyalty to me by the end of this, you are free. Like I said, Brittany, I am fair."

She began to walk away, leaving Wolf alone in the darkness of the forest. The moon just barely scraped by the tops of the trees, shining only enough light for her not to walk directly into a tree. And as she practically stumbled through the forest, she realized it—not Wolf; Brittany.

She knew that the decision to regret this would cross her mind many times. And yet, the more she thought about it, the less she cared. She was willing to throw anything and everything away to ensure that Jessie would be defeated.

The only thought that truly dawned on her was what Santana had said about the savages. If everything Brittany knew about them was a lie, there was no telling what other truths there were to discover. And even worse, this entire arrangement was set up on hypothetical situations.


	2. Chapter 2

The wind howled, scattering secrets through the forest that just barely reached Brittany's ears. But all they had to say was everything that Santana had already told her; truths still so foreign that she could barely fathom the power behind them. The shaking of the branches acted as a cue to Brittany as she fell onto one knee and slid a blade across the palm of her hand.

"My blood is your blood; my life is your life. I, Brittany, swear my loyalty to you, Santana, and only to you. If I am ever to break this bond, may the gods come down and release a wrath upon me that the world has not seen before. I will aid you in battle and stay by your side until I take my last breath. I will fight with you against your greatest enemies without hesitation. My actions will be yours to make. May your enemies become my enemies and your allies become my friends. I swear this to you under the stars that bear witness, and above the earth that will capture this oath and see it to its finish."

The expression of boredom did not falter on Santana's face, even as she motioned for Brittany to return to her feet. "I've never heard such an oath before. Is this what you swore to Jessie when you were old enough to understand what you were saying?"

"I was not born into Jessie's pack. I swore it to him when he accepted me as his own."

"I would imagine that if he really did accept you as his own, you would be free to make the decision of leaving without consequence of being taken down."

Brittany kept her head down as the bitter truth of Santana's words cut into her skin sharper than the blade she had just used. "If you think I would betray my loyalty to you, then you have nothing to fear. My words mean more than you hear them to. I am giving myself to you in such a way I never have with Jessie."

"What makes me different than Jessie?"

"You claim to be fair, just as he does so many times as well. And yet, the difference is that you put action behind your words. Just by this agreement I see more good will in you than I will with Jessie. After all, you have not killed me yet."

"I hope you will see me in that same light when all of this has ended." Santana turned her back to Brittany and looked to the sky. The treetops stretched towards the moon as if in an attempt to hold it, to capture its light and shine it upon the darkness they lived in. That is what many wished for in the Ashamari pack. Brittany did not have to ask around to know this. "Why did you cut your palm? What good does that do in Jessie's eyes?"

"It begins our oath. I am allowing my blood to flow for you, and it ties to the promise that I will give my life for you, that I will bleed for you when need be," Brittany explained.

"This all means little to me," Santana said suddenly. She turned on her heels to face Brittany again. "Make me a new oath. Promise to follow me. Promise to see me with the potential I have—to recognize me as a god."

"Is that what you wish to be? A god?"

"Is that not what we all wish to be?"

"I have only ever wished for a peaceful life. One without death." Brittany looked to the moon, trying to find what Santana had seemed to be searching for only moments before. "Can you promise me that if I am to swear myself to you?"

"I can only promise you that Jessie will be taken down. That's what I came to you for. No more, and no less. If your wishes come through by consequence of my actions, then so be it. But I will not go out of my way to fulfill them."

"Then I swear my blood to you, and with it my eyes. I will recognize you as superior to those that have brought me down. But only with time will I be able to see you as a god, once you have proven to me that that is what you are."

Santana considered her words for a while, leaving the two of them in a silent darkness that made Brittany look around nervously. Only in the silence did she allow herself to think about being caught out in this forest. What a pointless death she would serve if she were to be caught now. "That seems fair enough," Santana told her finally. "We must leave tonight."

"Why tonight? Where are we going?"

"I told you I was going to make contact with the savages, and I have. They have accepted us as allies and are willing to help us take down Jessie."

"What do they want in return? Surely they will not just accept you as their leader that easily," Brittany pointed out.

"You have no idea what people will do when they wish for revenge, Brittany. Go pack what you want to bring with you and meet me back here. We should leave before dawn and use the darkness to our advantage." Brittany nodded and turned to leave, but her wrist was caught by Santana. "Don't get caught. It will be bad for all of us."

As she ran back towards her camp, Santana's words registered. _"All of us,"_ her mind repeated, over and over again, as she tried to come up with an explanation as to what it meant. Was it not just the two of them there? Were the savages already involved in their affairs?

Her lips were chapped and her fingers were numb as she stuffed her rations of food into a small bag. She tried hard not to think about what was going to happen if she were to get caught—no, there was no time for that. The more she allowed herself to think, the more distracted she would get, and then there was a bigger chance she would be found out.

She tied the bag shut and cautiously stepped out of her tent, though was immediately pushed back in by an unseen force. When she regained her footing and looked to see who had assaulted her, she saw a woman she did not know. Pushing the irritability at continuously being confronted by strangers at the back of her mind, she focused on the person in front of her.

"I want your help," the woman said quietly. "I want you to take me and my family with you."

"With me where?" Brittany asked, hoping that pretending to know nothing would make it easier for her to get past the woman.

"To the savages. I heard you in the forest—followed you. I know your plan. I want you to bring me with you. Please—I have two daughters and a son. They have no father. We would have a better life with the savages than here with Jessie. I know it."

Brittany weighed the possibilities. This woman was human, begging for the mercy that Brittany had given to Xavier. Who was she to deny this woman something she could so easily give? All she had to do was lead them away from camp and follow Santana to the savages. They could survive. She could save them.

"Please," the woman begged once more. Brittany closed her eyes tightly and let out a long breath before nodding.

"Get your children. We leave now."

Shadows of new fires danced across the walls of the tent and panic rose in Brittany. They would not have lit more fires if there was not a problem. Cautiously, she stuck her head out of the tent opening and peered out. Men were running about and the camp grew louder and louder by the moment. Suddenly, she heard Jessie shouting.

"I am looking for Rachel!" he boomed. The woman looked to Brittany desperately. By Jessie's side were three children—two girls and a boy.

"You did not tell your children you were coming here, did you?" Brittany asked accusingly. Rachel shook her head, realizing her mistake. "They turned to Jessie—how could you not teach them he was not a person to trust?"

"I—I—" Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she attempted to choke out words. Brittany covered her mouth.

"Compose yourself. There is still a way we can make it out of this. Your children went to him out of fear of losing you. We can play on that," Brittany told her. Rachel calmed down at her words, looking to her with hope so overwhelming it made Brittany dizzy. She swallowed thickly as she stepped out of the tent with Rachel.

As soon as the spotted her, Rachel's children ran to her. One daughter, the youngest, clung to her leg and sobbed. The other grabbed onto her sleeve and refused to let go. Her son stood there, relief washing over his face, and kept quiet. Jessie approached them curiously.

"Why were you here?" he demanded to know. Brittany stepped forward and squared her shoulders.

"She was with me." She revealed the bag of food rations. "I was sharing food with her so she may feed her children."

At this, Jessie turned to Rachel, staring her down with anger flashing in his eyes. "Is what I give you not enough? Are you not grateful for all that I provide for your people? You are vermin, and yet I allow you to live on my lands! And you do not have the decency to thank me, but instead choose to go behind my back and get food from one of my own people?"

"It was not her own idea, Jessie. I saw the state of her children. What you provide them is plenty and is generous, but with winter coming, we will all begin to starve. Their ribs are poking out from their skin, and their other bones making an appearance that they should not make. They are human, with less resistance to the weather and to starvation than we have. Please, forgive me. I wished only to do them good, and I could afford giving up a week's worth of rations if it meant helping out another. As you said, they live on our lands, and by that they are of our responsibility. I was taking responsibility for our people."

Jessie struck her, causing her to stumble backwards before finally landing on the ground. She placed her hand over her cheek and looked up at him, trying to control her anger. "_Our_ people? They are nothing! They are less than the shifters that live in this pack! Remember your place, wolf, or I will put you back myself." He turned to Rachel and threw the bag to her. "This will not be tolerated again. The next time I find you begging for scraps, I will kill you to put you out of your misery."

As Brittany stood up, Jessie faced the crowd of shifters. He studied each face, recognizing the look of distaste nearly everyone wore. It angered him even more, and Brittany feared his rage. There were too many horrible things that could have come out of Jessie seeing his people silently disagree with him.

"Remember my kindness on this day," he shouted, "for you may never see it again." He looked at Rachel. "Return to your own camp, and take those children with you. Hope that I never see your face again."

Rachel hurried away, looking back only once to see Brittany nod and move her eyes to the forest.

"Wait," Jessie called out. Rachel froze in her steps and her children stopped along with her. Brittany noticed a man that was standing near Jessie. He wore an expression that she could just barely read, but the subtle smirk on his face as he looked directly at her told her everything that she needed to know.

"Rachel, run!" Brittany shouted. Just as Rachel registered her words, Jessie grabbed the sword of the man who was watching Brittany and swung it through the air. Lit by the fires, the sword's blade reflected the look of shock and helplessness on Rachel's face just before it sliced through her neck.

Her children screamed and hell broke loose on the campsite. Brittany rushed towards Rachel's children, though her path was blocked by the man who had overheard her and Rachel speaking. A low growl escaped her throat as she watched him closely. She lunged forward and reached for his throat, but was knocked to the ground.

Her head smacked the ground with an audible _thud_. The disorientation that resulted from the fall left her vulnerable to a swift kick to her ribs. She watched, as the world spun, Jessie make his way towards Rachel's children. He grabbed the eldest daughter by the arm and held her towards the crowd in a sort of display.

"I hereby sentence you to death for the crimes of your family," he shouted. With that, he wrapped his arm around her neck and tightened it, snapping her neck with little effort.

"No!" Brittany cried out. His attention turned to her and he left the children to confront her. Pulling her to her feet, he tossed her through the air. She landed on her back, and flipped to her side, coughing out blood. He continued towards her and kicked her chin, forcing her head back violently.

Just as she was sure he was going to kill her, a monstrous roar broke out into the night. The sound made Jessie freeze as he looked around to see what it was. A bear charged through the camp, ignoring the crowd and heading straight for Jessie. The amount of time in which he changed forms into an equally large bear was record. Then again, Brittany expected nothing more from an Ashamari.

The bears fought, teeth snapping and arms struggling to grasp onto the other. Brittany took the opportunity to run towards the children. With her vision blurry and an excruciating pounding in her head, she pushed them along until they were no longer frozen to the ground and ran on their own.

She looked back to the bears, fighting viciously with no apparent victor. She could tell that Jessie was struggling to gain control over the situation, yet the other bear was strong—strong enough to hold him off. It was something Brittany had never bore witness to; a shifter stronger than Jessie, or at least just as strong as him. As Jessie turned his head to look for aid from the pack, Brittany saw just the faintest glint of something she could not believe: fear.

"Run to the border of Waus and do not look back. Do you understand?" she said to the daughter and son as she slowed her running. They nodded at her and ran, hand-in-hand, leaving her to her own devices. She knew she was going to regret what she was about to do, but as she saw other pack members shift into their own forms, she knew she had no choice.

She ran towards the crowd, shifting into her wolf form. As she ran past the others who were struggling to figure out what to do, she lunged for Jessie and sunk her teeth into his arm. Her jaws clamped down on him and she refused to let go. He swung her around, crying out in pain. The other bear took the chance and knocked him to the ground. Brittany let go and began to run in the direction she had led the children to. The other bear fought off pack members who had finally decided to join in the fight and did their best to keep up. When the bear finally shook the pack and caught up to Brittany, she could already imagine Santana's voice in her head, scolding her.

_You had one job,_ Santana's voice mocked, _and you screwed it up._

The four of them did not stop running until they had reached the border of Waus and Ashamari. By then, morning had come and passed into afternoon. The children, whose names Brittany learned to be Ishia and Finn, had been on Santana's back for most of the time, unable to run the distance themselves.

Santana and Brittany had shifted back to their human forms, grateful that they were at the border when it happened. The dry, hot air was openly welcomed to the naked bodies that would have otherwise frozen in Ashamari. Ishia, the youngest, had offered her coat to Brittany, but the wolf declined her offer. Finn remained quiet the entire time, just as he had done when they found his mother.

"Honestly, I don't understand why I trusted you to begin with," Santana droned on. "We could have already crossed the border to Hallio. They would have welcomed us through if it meant bringing Jessie down. And now, where have you led us? Through Waus? Do you understand that the hostility of these people is what keeps Jessie from making the mistake of traveling into their lands? They're humans—all of them! And if Jessie keeps away from humans, then they are clearly not going to be in our best interest."

"How many times do I have to apologize for my mistake? He was going to kill them, and surely you cannot expect me to have gone through a group of people willing to kill me for Jessie's sake," Brittany countered.

"You still could have done better!" Santana shouted. Brittany shrunk into herself at the sound of Santana's voice rising so quickly. She saw the temper she did not expect the other woman to have flare up, and it frightened her. Seeing her reaction, Santana calmed down, and extended her hand to grab Brittany's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Brittany."

"She saved us. You wouldn't have," Finn said. His words were soft, but held strength behind them. He stared down Santana, daring her to challenge his statement. "You should be sorry." The matter-of-fact tone behind his words made Brittany smile to herself. She knew she would come to appreciate him.

"You've made your point. Do you have anything else to say in an attempt to bruise my ego?" Santana asked. He shrugged at her remark and turned to face his sister. "All right. Now, then, next order of business. How are we going to get through Waus undetected?"

"I have an idea!" Ishia shouted as her hand rocketed into the air. Santana nodded at her, inviting her to explain. Amusement played in her eyes as Ishia opened her mouth to speak. "We can walk along the shoreline, right, and if people see us, you can turn into a bear and swim across the lake with me and Finn on your back!"

"What about me?" Brittany cut in.

"You can turn into a wolf and swim with us," Ishia explained. "These people are all like me and Finn, so they can't turn into animals, right? Or are there people like my dad here?"

At the question, Brittany and Santana exchanged looks. "Like your dad?" Brittany pried. Ishia nodded enthusiastically.

"My dad could turn into an eagle, before Jessie sent him away. He was like you," she clarified.

"And you two don't turn into anything?" Santana asked, disbelief coating her voice. Finn and Ishia both shook their heads. "Give us a moment, please." Santana grabbed Brittany's arm and led her away until they were not within earshot of the children. "Are we being lied to?"

"I don't think so. Think about it, Santana—people mature at different ages. Their shifting may not have occurred yet because they're too young. When they age, it'll change. They may shift at any given new moon until they have control."

"But you do think that they inherited their father's genes, correct? That they can shift?"

"Don't be foolish. It only takes one shifter to produce another generation of shifters. Of course they can shift. Their first time just hasn't happened yet." Brittany stared at the ground in thought. At the sight of her drifting off, Santana snapped her fingers in front of her face.

"What are you thinking of?"

"They said their father was an eagle who Jessie had sent away," Brittany said.

"So?"

"I knew him. Or, at least, I knew of him. He had been killed for sleeping with a human. Jessie didn't send him away. He drowned him in a pool of his own blood." Santana turned her away and closed her eyes at the image that played through her mind.

"We can no longer worry about this. We need to focus on getting to the savages. In this tree line, we're safe. But we will eventually be found by the humans of Waus or the shifters under Jessie's command. We need to move quickly if we are not to be caught."

"Where do we go? Unless you know the layout of Waus and where the people are gathered, I don't see this ending well no matter what we do," Brittany pointed out.

Santana paced, her breathing becoming heavy as she became more and more frustrated. Brittany, unsure of what to do, reached out to her, trying to stop her movements. The gesture only angered Santana more, and yet that anger translated into something deeper and more desperate. She dropped to the ground, burying her head in her hands.

"What are going to do? The entire plan is fucked. I don't know what to do," Santana mumbled into her palms.

"We'll think of some—"

Santana looked up to see what had broken Brittany's sentence, yet she did not see the woman in sight, or the two children. Just as she stood to look around, something blocked her vision, and all she saw was black until she was knocked unconscious.

When she awoke, all she could focus on was the coldness of the ground. She blinked once, twice, until she could make out her surroundings. She was in a cage with a cold, hard, stone bottom. "Brittany?" she called out.

The sun blinded her as she looked up. Frantically, she pushed at the bars of the cage, yet they did not budge, despite being made out of what seemed to be wood. She kicked hard, beginning to panic. The tight space had started to close in on her, the bars becoming more and more suffocating by the second.

"Brittany!" she screamed, her voice echoing. "Brittany! Brittany!" She shouted desperately, her voice thick with panic. She continued to kick and claw at the bars until, finally, she heard a response.

"Fuck, Santana, shut up," Brittany said tiredly. She looked behind her, but instead of bars she found a wall. She put her palm flat against it, guessing that the other side held Brittany.

"I cannot believe you would speak to your god in such a way," Santana teased, trying to make light of the situation. Still, anxiety rose in her chest and she felt her heart beating faster and faster.

"You're not my god yet," Brittany reminded her.

"Where are we?"

"Where do you think we are, Santana?"

Santana remained silent, waiting for Brittany to point out what she believed to be obvious, but what Santana had yet to catch onto.

"We're in a Waus prison."


End file.
